Good romantic comedies usually stick to the golden rule: Don't stray too far
toward other genres, especially trite melodramas. "Almost Love" (Cheongchun manhwa) is by and large a watchable Romantic Comedy, but it does not obey the rule - at its own risk.

Director Lee Han, who solidified his reputation as a young and promising Korean filmmaker with his debut work "Lover's Concerto", (2002), was given almost irresistible casting: top-stars Kwon Sang-woo and Kim Han-nuel.

Kwon and Kim showcased fine acting skills in their previous hit "My Tutor Friend (2003). So it is natural to expect that their new couple acting will be fun and thrilling. Months ahead of the release of the movie, a tantalizing rumor flared up that they were secretly dating, despite their strong denials. It boosted the publicity for the film, which is good for director Lee and marketing staff.

The question is whether the movie is indeed a decent Romantic Comedy as the promoters feverishly claim. When it comes to the first half of the film, it's clearly a comedy. The Korean title, "Cheongchun manhwa", translates into "Youth Comics" in English, and various cartoonish episodes add up dramatic effects.

For the latter half, however, it's a melodrama that is so unconvincing and moralistic that a new title - perhaps "Cheongchun Ethics Textbook" - seems to be in order. Ji-hwan (Kwon Sang-woo) and Dal-rae (Kim Ha-neul) are age-old friends who have grown up in the same neighborhood. They share almost 13 years of childhood and adolescence, but they do not think of each other as a romantic partner because they know each other too well.

Ji-hwan is a taekwondo student at a college, and Dal-rae studies drama. He dreams of becoming Korea's Jackie Chan while doing a part time job as a stuntman. Dal-rae continues to fail in auditions because she's too timid in public. They make fun of each other about their respective weaknesses, but underneath such playful and mischievous exchanges, they vaguely begin to feel there's something more than pure friendship.

Ji-hwan and Dal-rae are old friends and they have grown up in the same neighborhood. Ji-hwan admires Hong Kong movie star "Jacky Chan" and wants to be a world action star. Dal-rae has a desire to be an actress. They always bear grudges against each other with their private weak parts, and they quarrel everyday, however they are great friends who care for each other. One day, Dal-rae goes out with Young-hoon who is in the same Taekwondo group as Ji-hwan. Young-hoon is a student representative of the department as well as an all-round athlete. Ji-hwan is also dating a girl, Ji-min, a gorgeous glamour girl who has a well-shaped figure. It seems that there would be no problem between the good friends Ji-hwan and Dal-rae, but somehow a strange atmosphere arises after they start seeing someone else. Everybody knows it is more than just a friendship, except Ji-hwan and Dal-rae.